Cotton cleaner and separator



C. HILLMAN AND F. SIEMS.

COTTON CLEANER AND SEPARATOR.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 30, 1920- 1,406,559. Patented Feb. 14, 1922.

5 SHEETS-SHEET l.

h to

VENTOR 8 7 e ZZZwm n. MESS 62:27775 A. f ATTORNEYS C. HILLMAN AND F. SIEMS.

COTTON CLEANER AND SEPARATOR.

APPLICATION FILED 02c. 30. 1920.

1,406,559, Patented Feb. 14, 1922.

5 swim-SHEET 2.

u mvmnm WITNESSES Ch rZgglfl 2 21mm.

% red Stems.

. L" #1 ATTORNEYS c. HQILLMAN AND F. SIEMS.

COT TON CLEANER AND SEPARATOR. APPLICATION FILED 05c. 30, 1920.

1,406,559, Patented Feb. 14, 1922. m s SHEETS-SEEN 3.

Q1 o H N 14/ ENTOR %/msss t a Cha -Z dJ-[l Lman.

Fre 87716"- d, 7 v I Jim/Mm C. HILLMAN AND'F. SIEMS.

COTTON CLEANER AND SEPARATOR.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 30, 1920.

ww W6 A C. HILLM ANSAND F. SIEMS. COTTON CLEANER A ND SEPARATOR. APPLICATION FILED use. 30. 1920.

1,406,559, Patentd Feb. 14, 1922.

7 INI/fNTO/i Charles HL 2 21710.71-

A TTORNEYS UNITED STATES CHARLES HILLMANN AND rnnns mvis, or RUNGE, TEXAS.

COTTON cnnennn AND sErAnAToa.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Feb. 14:, 1922.

Application filed December 30, 1920. Serial No.'434,121.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES HILLMANN and FRED SinMs, citizens of the United States, and residents of Runge, in the county of Karnes and State of'TeXas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cotton Cleaners and Separators, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention is an improvement in cotton cleaners, and has for its object to provide a device of the character specified wherein all dirt, trash and the like is separated from the cotton by means of suction, the cotton being fed to the machine in a light, flocculent mass, which permits all of thelight trash, such as leaves, dust and the like, to be thoroughly separated from the cotton, and without twisting or tangling the cotton and without converting it into short staple by tearing the fibers.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the improved cleaner;

Figure 2 is a similar view with the cover removed;

1 Figure 3 is a longitudinal vertical section;

Figure 4 is an end view; 7 Figures 5 and 6 are sections on the lines 5-5 and 6- 6, respectively, of Figure? In the embodiment of the invention shown, a suitable frame 1 is provided, of substantially rectangular open formation, and a substantially cylindrical casing {is supported by this frame, the said casing consisting of a lower fixed section 2 and an upper removable section 3 which is detachably connected with the fixed section.

A portion of the bottom of the fixed section is cut away, over about two-thirds of the extent of the section, and at this cut away portion there is provided a screen 4 of perforate material, as, for instance, wire mesh, and this screen is supported by are shaped bars 5 which are connected at their ends'with the frame 1.

The upper section 3, which is of galvanized iron or the like, is braced andrein forced by are shaped bars 6 of wood or the like. A shaft 7 is journaled longitudinally of the casing in bearings 8 at the ends of the frame 1, and this shaft is provided outside of the casing with a pulley 9 for permitting it to be connected with a suitable source of power; At the opposite end there is also a pulley 10, and this pulley is connected by a belt 11 with a pulley 12 on one end of a conveyor shaft 18, which is journaled in a trough 14 supported below the casing 12, and to which the said casing delivers, the" casing having at the cut-away portion a hopper shaped extension 15having at its bottom a valve 16 which is hinged to the edge of the extension, as indicated at 17, to swing into open or closed position, and the valve is swung by means of a lever 18 at the end of the casing. The valve 16 controls communication between the depending portion 15 of the casing, and the trough 1.4.

A. spiral vane 19 is secured to the shaftv 13 and this shaft and vane constitute a screw conveyor, moving in the trough 14, for carrying away the material that is separated from the cotton; Propeller arms 20 and 20 are secured to the shaft 7, in the casing 23, the said arms being arranged in two series, the members of one series being at right angles to the members of the other series.

The arms are arranged in pairs, one mem-- ber of each pair being above and the other below the shaft, and they are clamped to? gether on the shaft by clip bolts 21, as shown more particularly in Figure 5. Sun dry of the arms, namely, the arms 20 which are at the end of the shaft adjacent to the pulley 10, have hinged or pivoted. sections 22, the connection permitting the outermost sections to yield in case of striking an obstruction, as, for instance, a large lump'of cotton. These arms 20 and 2O are not beat ers, but are propelling arms for moving the cotton through the casing 2-3, and it will be noticed that each arm has its wide dimension twisted spirally so that they willact in the manner of propellers, to move the cotton from the pulley 10 toward the pulley 9.

At the end adjacent to the pulley 9 the lower section 2 of the casing has an outlet 23, and the last threepairs of arms at this point are arranged in substantially the same plane, that is, they are not placed at'right angles with respect to each other. Below the outlet 23 and at each side thereofthere is arranged a screen 24 and 25, respectively, and a baflle or deflecting plate 26 is arranged at that end of the cut-away portion of the section 2 adjacent to the, outlet23. This plate 26 is also at the end of the hopper propeller arms 20.

shaped extension 16 and closes the said end, separating the extension from a species of screen chamber below the outlet 23.

A casing 28 connects the hopper shaped extension with the conveyor trough 14, as

shown more particularly in Figure 5, and

the opposite side walls of this extension are inclined inwardly toward the trough, wlnle that end wall adjacent to the outlet 23 is also inclined as shown at 29. Thus all of the trash which is cleaned from the cotton and which passes through the outlet 23 passes down the inclined bottom or end 29 of the casing 28, into the conveyor trough 14, from which it is removed by the screw conveyor 13 19.

An endless belt 30 is supported for mov ing transversely of the casing l-2, below the, outlet 23 thereof, the said belt being supported at its ends by suitable rollers (not shown) and the upper end of the belt moves through registering openings 31 and.

31 in the side walls of the casing 28, just below the outlet 23 of the casing 23, and just between the lower edges of the screens 24 and 25. This belt has at regular intervals transversely extending series of upstanding pins 32, and certain series or" the pins, namely, the intermediate series, carry plates 33 of rubber or the like.

The cotton enters the casing1,-2by means of a pipe 31 and the air is withdrawn from the casing l2 through a pipe 35 which communicates with the casing 28, and the cotton leaves the cleaner by way of the belt 30 before mentioned. This belt is arranged within a trough 36 which extends from both sides of the casing, and suitable doors 37 are provided in the top of the trough near the casing 12 for permitting .the interiorof the trough to be observed.

These doors are hinged, as shown at 38,- and are provided with suitable stops 39 arranged transversely of the doors and designed to engage the sides of the trough, to prevent said doors swinging downwardly on to the belt. The conveyor trough 14. has a lateral outlet 40 at the end remote from the pulley 12, for the trash and the like, and a cloth valve 41 is arranged within this outlet, the said valve permitting the tree outflow of the dirt, but preventing inflow of the air.

In operation, the cotton is fed to the cleaner through the pipe 34 and, entering the casing 12, it is fed longitudinally thereof toward the outlet 23 by'means of the The cotton is thoroughly stirred and separated, so that all of the trash therein will be withdrawn by the suction through the screen 4e lVhen the cotton reaches the outlet 23 it drops upon the belt 30, and any remaining dirt is removed through the screen 2%25. By the belt the.

cotton is distributed to gins or the like, in

a loose, clean, fiocculent mass, suitable openmeans for conveying away the dirt and trash below the casing and to which the casing delivers from the screen and from the outlet, screens arranged below and at opposite ends of the outlet, means for creating suction through the screens, and means at the outlet for conveyingthe cotton away from the casing and distributing said cotton, said means comprising an endless belt moving through the casing between the last named screens, and having means for engaging the cotton.

2. In a device of the character specified, asubstantially cylindrical casing having a portion of the bottom cut away and pro, vided with a screen at the said portion and having an outlet in its bottom at the other end, means for moving the cotton longitudinally of the casing toward the outlet, means for conveying away the dirt and trash below the casing to which the casing delivers from the screen and from the outlet, screens arranged below and atopposite ends of the outlet, means for creatingsuction through the screens, and means at the outlet for conveying the cotton away from the casing and distributing said cotton.

In a device of the character specified,

a substantially cylindrical casing having a portion of the bottom cut away and provided with a screen at the said portion and having an outlet in its bottom at the other end, means for moving the cotton longitudinally of the casing toward the outlet, means for conveying away the dirt and trash below the casing and to which the casing delivers from the screen and from the outlet, screens arranged below and at opposite ends ofthe outlet, means for creating suction through the screens, and means at the outlet for conveying the cotton away from the casing and distributing said cotton, said propelling means comprising a shaft journaled'axially of the casing and having radial propelling arms, sundry of the arms having hinged sections for permitting them to yield. e 1

4. In a' device of the character specified, a substantially cylindrical casing having a portion of the bottom cut away and provided with a screen at the said portion and having an outlet in its bottom at the othertudinally of the casing toward the outlet,,

means for conveying away the trash and dirt below the casing to which the casing deliver from the screen and from the outlet, screens arranged below and at opposite ends of the outlet, means for creating suction through the screens, and means at the 7 outlet for conveying the cotton away from the casing and distributing said cotton, said propelling means comprising a shaft journaled axially of the casing and having radial propelling arms.

5. In a device of the character specified, a casing having at one end a screen at the bottom thereof and at the other end an outlet, a distributing belt mounted to move below the outlet, screens on each side of the belt, means for moving the cotton through the casing toward the outlet, means for creating a suction of air through the casing and screen, and a dirt conveyor below the casing to which the said casing delivers.

6. In a device of the character specified, a casing having at one end a screen at the bottom thereof and at the other end an outlet, a distributing belt mounted to move below the outlet, screens on each side of the belt, means for moving the cotton through the casing toward the outlet, and means for creating a suction of air through the casing and screen.

7-. A cotton cleaner comprising a container having an outlet, a conveyor arranged at said outlet, to receive the cotton, feeding means arranged within the container, a screen arranged at said outlet at one side of said conveyor, and suction means to draw the foreign matter from the cotton through said screens.

8. In a device of the character specified, a casing having at one end a screen in its bottom and at the other end an outlet, a distributing belt below the outlet, screens on each side of the belt, means for creating a current of air through the screens and through the casing, means for regulating the suction through the casing and screens, and means for moving the cotton through the casing toward the outlet, said regulating means comprising a valve, the casing having an extension through which the trash is delivered, and the valve being at the opening of the extension.

9. In a device of the character specified, a casing having at one end a screen in its bottom and at the other end an outlet, a distributing belt below the outlet, screens on each side of the belt, means for creating a current of air through the screens and through the casing, means for regulating the suction through the casing and screen, and

means for moving the cotton through the casing toward the outlet.

10. Ina device of the character specified, a casing having at one end an outlet and at the other a screen in its bottom, means for moving the cotton longitudinally of the casing toward the outlet, an endless distributing belt having its upper run arranged transversely of the casing below the outlet and adapted to receive the cotton from the outlet and distribute the same, and means for creating a suction of air through the casing and screen and the cotton on said distributing apron. I

11. A cotton cleaner comprising a container havingan outlet, a cotton receiver at said outlet, a portion of said container being reticulated, and suction means arranged adjacent the reticulated portion of said container to withdraw the foreign matter from the cotton carried by the receiver and the container.

12. A cotton cleaner comprising a container having an outlet, a portion of said container being reticulated, suction means to withdraw the foreign matter from the cotton, a conveyor arranged at the outlet of said container, said suction means being adapted to withdraw the foreign matter from the cotton on the conveyor, and a screen arranged at one side of said conveyor to permit of the withdrawal of the foreign matter from the cotton and to hold the cotton on the conveyor.

13. A cotton cleaner comprising a container having an outlet, a portion of said container being reticulated, a conveyor arranged at the outlet of said container, means to feed cotton to said container, suction means to withdraw the foreign matter from the cotton in said container and on saidconveyor, a screen arranged adjacent said conveyor for the passage of foreign matter removed from the cotton, and a receiver for the foreign matter removed from said cotton.

14:. A cotton cleaner comprising a container having an outlet, a conveyor arranged at said outlet, screens arranged at said outlet on opposite sides of said conveyor, and suction means to draw the foreign matter from the cotton through said screens.

A cotton cleaner comprising a container having an outlet, a conveyor arranged at said outlet, screens arranged at said outlet on opposite sides of said conveyor, suction means to draw the foreign matter from the cotton through said screens, and means to advance the cotton to said outlet.

CHARLES HILLMANN. FRED SIEMS. 

